Studio Guidelines

Yoga mats are provided for free; however, please bring a towel to put on your mat for hygienic purposes.

Turn your cell phone completely off, this also means that you shouldn’t have it on vibrate.

Please always keep your voice to a whisper while others are in practice.

Do not wear perfume as other people may have allergies or sensitivities.

The only things you might need near your mat are keys, wallet, water and maybe a few yoga tools. Please leave your bag, purse, jacket, etc. in the change room.

Pick up props and blocks that were used during the class and put them on the shelves.

Advice your teacher of any injury, medical condition or limitations before the class starts.

Let the instructors know you are a beginner and if you need help.

Yoga is not competitive. Be gentle and compassionate towards yourself and avoid competition with others.

In order to get maximum benefits from practice, stay for a full Savasanaa (Relaxation).

Please bring a small towel to all yoga and restorative classes, to use under your head/face/feet on cushions and bolsters.

“Yoga means, as in its English derivative, to yoke, to join, to harness, to unite, to bring together. It means elevating the body’s intelligence to the level of the mind and then yoking both to unite with the soul. The body is the planet earth in all its diversity. Soul is the spirit, heaven above. Yoga as an instrument joins these, the Many into One.” B.K.S Iyengar

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta=eight, anga=limb). These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one’s health; and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.

Yama or living with true ethics deals with sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are as follows:

Ahimsa: Non-harming, non-violence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Non-stealing or not misappropriating

Brahmacharya: Continence or celibacy, sense control

Aparigraha: Non-covetousness, modesty of life, neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth

Niyama means “rules” or “laws.” There are five niyamas, or individual ethical observances:

Saucha: Purity, cleanliness of both inner and outer bodies achieved through asana practice